Testimonies reveal exploitative conditions at the cotton factories in the government-backed Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone in Benin Workers at B...

Testimonies reveal exploitative conditions at the cotton factories in the government-backed Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone in Benin
Workers at Benin's largest cotton processing complex say they were locked inside the factory and forced to work overtime before being allowed to leave. The shocking episode did not take place in a small plant but in the heart of the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone (GDIZ), the West African country's main industrial project, launched in 2020.
Located 45 kilometers from Cotonou, Benin's economic capital, GDIZ is a vast district built through a partnership between President Patrice Talon's government and Arise IIP, a company created by Indian businessman Gagan Gupta, former executive at global agribusiness giant Olam. Promoted as a driver of "industrial transformation", the park processes around 40,000 tons of cotton annually and produces between 7 and 10 million garments, according to company figures.
Locked in until 1:45 am
The incident occurred on May 9, 2025. Nearly five months later, BdF interviewed workers who participated in the protest after being locked in. They still work at the complex and asked to remain anonymous.
"It was the 3 pm to 11:45 pm shift. We finished on time, but managers said we had to do two more hours before we could leave, which meant we would only go home around 1:45 am. There is no safety on the roads at that hour." Families were not even able to tell their children they would return so late, one worker said.
"When colleagues refused to stay longer, management ordered security to block the gates, claiming the overtime was urgent and mandatory," he added.
"Slave labor brings nothing to the country"
President Talon has promoted GDIZ as a way to process the country's "white gold" domestically, creating jobs and adding value to exports. Benin, which competes with Mali as Africa's top cotton producer, exports mostly raw fiber to countries like Bangladesh and China. According to the Regional Program for Integrated Cotton Production in Africa, Benin is expected to harvest 669,000 tons in 2024-2025.
But union leader Nagnini Kassa Mampo, secretary general of the Confederation of Workers of Benin, disputes the official narrative. "Talon created GDIZ for foreign companies. Most of the production is for export, not for Benin. These firms operate under special conditions: no customs duties for 17 years, almost free labor at 52,000 CFA francs [about USD 85] per month. That is not industrialization. True industrialization means industries belong to the country and serve the country. What exists here is slave labor, and when labor is slave labor, the nation gains nothing," he said.
Low pay, extreme heat, and no freedom to leave
One father of two joined GDIZ after being promised 100,000 CFA francs per month. He now earns just 52,000, barely enough for two weeks. "Rent alone costs around USD 35. With two children, I cannot cover food and other basics," he told BdF.
"We produce 1,000 to 1,200 garments a day. In an eight-hour shift, we can sew 700 to 900 polo shirts. Every day they push us to go further. The conditions are miserable. Wages are too low. Once you enter, you cannot leave, even in an emergency. This is not a military camp, but they treat us as if it were."
Another worker described unbearable heat and lack of medical care: "They put two fans for about 50 people. With the machines running, it's deadly. People faint or quit because of the heat. Every day new people are hired, and every day others leave. Youth here suffer, many have nothing to eat."
The May protest was denounced in a video published by La Flamme, a newspaper linked to the Communist Party of Benin. According to workers, the two employees who appeared in the video were fired shortly after. The Confederation of Workers says repression of dissent has become systematic under Talon's rule. "Life has become unbearable. Prices are high, hunger spreads, and those who protest are jailed," Mampo said.
Talon, cotton magnate turned president
Patrice Talon, in power since 2016, is considered Benin's wealthiest man, with an estimated fortune of USD 400 million built in the cotton sector. His rise began in 1990, during liberalization reforms promoted by the World Bank, when he acquired three ginning factories. After Thomas Yayi Boni's election in 2006, Talon expanded his empire and in 2008 acquired 15 of Benin's 18 cotton plants through privatization of the state company Sonapra.
"Factories were taken from the state and handed to him. That's how he became a billionaire," Mampo said. "Now, as president, he controls both public and private sectors, enriching himself through monopoly. He claims he stepped back, but in reality, everything is still in his hands."
Talon is a close ally of French president Emmanuel Macron, who visited Cotonou in 2022 and praised GDIZ. "The project is placing Benin on the path to an industrial economy," Macron said, calling it a model for Africa, while remaining silent on labor rights abuses.
Expanding the model across Africa
Arise IIP now manages similar industrial zones in 14 African countries. In September 2024, Saudi state investor Vision Invest announced a USD 700 million injection to expand these zones continent-wide, one of the largest private infrastructure deals in Africa.
But critics warn the model resembles a new form of colonialism. In Chad, peasant leaders and unions accuse Arise of land grabs, corruption, and bribery of local officials. A 2023 investigation by L'Humanité described the company's practices as "emblematic of capitalist predation," involving dispossession of farmers, shadowy deals, and high-level complicity.
The company's founder, Gagan Gupta, has long-standing ties to Olam and now operates through his own investment fund based in Abu Dhabi. In 2022, he signed a €763 million deal with Chad to establish a meat processing firm, Laham Tchad, which locals say was built on expropriated land.
"We don't work for Benin"
For workers inside GDIZ, the contradictions are obvious. "We are not working for Benin. We are working for foreigners," one said. "They profit, but we go hungry. If they truly wanted to industrialize this country, they would also improve our lives so that we could feed our families. That is all we ask."
BdF contacted the Benin government, GDIZ management, and Arise IIP for comment. No response was received by the time of this publication. The space remains open for their statements.
This article was first published in Brasil de Fato.
Copyright 2025 People's Dispatch. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (okay1).
Tagged: Benin, Governance, West Africa
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
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